The Last Stand
by finalmasterzx
Summary: The return of an ancient evil threatens the Maple World, however, 4 brave souls take it upon themselves to save the World by going on an epic quest, which involves crossing of dimensions, putting them against abominations, heroes and even the gods themselves. Comprises of 3 Arcs
1. Chapter 1

**The Last Stand**

 **Hey guys, im final here and its my first time writing a fanfic and i thought about doing one regarding the black mage while crossovering to other series. I've changed some of the stuff in Maplestory for more imagination space, i think it will become apparent in the future chapters or even this one. Hope this one interests you guys. By the way, I Do Not Own Maplestory or any other series that appears in this fanfic.**

 **Brief Character Description:**

Viper: A man in his late twenties and Descendant of the Original Aran. He has pushed himself to superhuman levels both mentally and physically and is also well versed in the arts of brawling, stealth, and archery. A cerebral person who is cold to almost everyone and is both the Protector of Rien and Vigilante in Kerning City.

Ace: Childhood friend of Viper and wields the Thunder Gauntlets which allows him to harness the powers of the Lightning Elemental, which can normally only be obtained through rigorous training at the Knights of Cygnus. An outgoing person who is also slightly cocky but has the skills to pay the bills.

Onii/Omni: The last practitioner of the arcane magic, the earliest and most potent form of magic in Maple World. He has slept for a thousand years and has awoken 2 years back. A mysterious person

Jack: An awkward young man aged eighteen. He has the strange ability to assume the forms of others and wield their abilities, albeit to a certain extent….

 **Evil Unbound Saga**

 **Chapter 1: The Foreshadowing**

[Kerning City: Random alley]

"Hey, you got the stuff?"

"Yeah, now make it quick, this ain't a safe place for us to do this yo, not with…that guy prowling around."

"He he, chickening out? Relax, I've brought my own guys to make sure this deal goes off smoothly."

"I assume you mean those people who apparently slept through their jobs?"

The two men whipped their heads around and in that instant, they immediately recognized who that voice belonged to. It was a buff man with a cowl over his face,in a dark armor complimented with a cape, with a F symbol plated over his chest, it was the famed vigilante of Kerning City that 'hunted' in the night, known as Final.

"Holy..!" As they turned tail to run, the vigilante immediately swooped over and what followed would surely leave a deep scar in the two. **Permanently.** Seeing as his work was done, he left the thugs for the Maple Police Force and left the scene.

[Rooftop of said alley]

 **Viper** stared out into the city forlornly, observing the streets of the ever gloomy Kerning to ensure that no harm would befall upon its inhabitants. He thought to himself: "How long have I been doing this, has anything...changed? Ever since I decided to start the crusade against crime, as..." Before he could finish his thoughts, a sudden burst of energy fell behind him, with purple smoke in its wake. A levitating young man appeared from the smoke and finished Viper's thoughts "Final".

Viper remained indifferent and without turning back, said with disdain "I told you never to read my mind. That aside, why are **you** here, **Omni**?"

"Come now, don't be so cold to me, I believe I asked you guys to call me Onii, and for the record, teleportation spells take quite the toll on me you know, shouldn't you be concerned about me?" When Viper shot him a sharp glare, Omni gulped and hastily added on: "Ehem, well that aside, I do have something of upmost importance to inform you." Noticing the sudden change in Omni's tone alerted Viper of the graveness of said issue.

"When I was admiring mother nature out in your hometown, Rien, just moments ago, I detected an anomaly in the area." Then, Omni gave a smirk, "That said, your hometown sure has beautiful flowers and lush greenery everywhere does it not?"

"!" Viper was about to make a cold remark about Rien being a land of ice but soon realized the hidden meaning behind Omni's words. Rien never had any beautiful flowers or greenery for that matter, in fact, they wouldn't even last for long there.

This strange occurrence alerted Viper of some impending danger, with impatience, he asked Omni: "Tell me everything you know, and don't waste my time."

"But of course, that is why I am here, is it not?"

"I don't have time for your whims; give me everything you know, now!" Viper demanded.

"My my, temper temper, anyways, apparently, there has been a disturbance with the time space continuum and everything is slowly starting to get distorted, as a matter of fact, as things stand, I'd say we have about 7 days till the whole of maple world gets distorted."

Viper coldly stared at Omni, as if he wasn't surprised to hear that. After a short pause, he spoke up with a grim look on his face: "I know that can't be all you're here for, something of this level wouldn't warrant usage of your **exhausting** teleportation. Tell me, what is it that your truly worried about, _ancient_ magus."

"My, you sure aren't the feared vigilante for nothing, nothing truly escapes your eye." After making that joke, he heaved a deep sigh and after a short pause, continued. " The disturbance isn't natural, I can feel a terribly powerful force acting behind it, its malicious intents seeping through the distortions….and.. I…through usage of my arcane magic, traced the origins of that force, and…. Found out it not only came from Rien alone, but trails off to other worlds, other dimensions…"

"Hold it, **Other Worlds!?** What do u mean by that, that's blasphemy, there is no way anyone can break through dimensions with just distortions." Viper was bewildered by this. There was just no way.

"You..are correct, there is no way for a distortion in space and time in this world to be connected to multiple dimensions. Time and space are parallel to each other in every world, this holds true no matter where you are. They run linearly, endlessly in the…area known as the space time continuum. Even if they should be polluted and start to go off course, into each other's trajectory, it would still be happening only in that world, the space time continuum ensures that…and yet…." Omni's voice starts trailing off.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I must have confused you with all that talk, my sincere apologies…Viper?" Omni turned to see what he had least expected, Viper in deep thought, instead of being confused by the current state of affairs. After all, they were talking about things far beyond the reach of mortals, it is to be expected that they cannot comprehend the issue.

Viper then started mumbling to himself: "… So if that's the case, it must mean that there are multiple entities doing the exact same thing in their respective dimensions, though it would be more logical to conclude that they come from the same entity, but not a single entity alive could do all this on its own…unless...no, it can't be him."

"Um ... Viper? Might I suggest we do research on this problem somewhere else, after all, it is getting a little cold out here and I am 1000 years old, so my body is kind of…"

"Not now Omni!" Viper sternly said. "But you are right though, we need to do some research to investigate deeper, we lack information as of now. C'mon, let's go."

"Where to my friend?"

"Somewhere my friend, somewhere."

"That's not exactly an answer Viper."

[Kerning City, Viper's Hideout]

Viper's Hideout had the state of the art technology, protected by armed drones, equipped with a retinal scan and surveillance cameras; one had to wonder how much money was put into building the place.

Once through the security, at the interior of the hideout, there's a supercomputer and several other equipment which resembled instruments of sorts.

"Come Omni, we have work to do."

"Pardon me for saying this, but I don't think that small shelf could possibly contain information we require." Said Omni as he pointed to a shelf filled with books.

"This isn't from your era Omni; we are going to use this." Viper said with pride as he showed Omni to the supercomputer.

"Er, Viper, I understand that this is cutting edge technology, but you couldn't possibly find what we are looking for, it's spiritual power, not some powder you people call chemicals."

"Silence Omni, just sit back and watch." With that said, Viper then went on to operate the other machines and a digital map was displayed onscreen with a purple coloring over Rien in contrast to the bright blue of the map.

"This, is what technology can do Omni, this machine allows me to keep track of all spiritual, or ethereal matter."

"How did you do that?"

"I…have my means, regardless, this energy signature, can u decode it in a sense?"

"Hold on…..yes, it is indeed the one at Rien, as well as the one plaguing the other dimensions, but woe is me, technology sure has improved by leaps and bounds, back in my day…." Viper leaves Omni to his ranting and starts searching through the records.

"Here, come and tell me who this energy belongs to." "Alright, as you wish." Omni starts utilizing his magic to decode the energy and searches for the perpetrator.

After some time, Omni suddenly points to a name and as soon as Viper laid his eyes on that name, his face went pale and he fell back to an armchair. He trembled in fear. "Noo…this… can't be."

Fear the one who is feared by the fearless..the **Black Mage**.

 **Well, thats it for now folks, hope you enjoyed it and if possible do give me some feedback on improvements or what you think of the story so far.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:** **History**

 **Hey guys, its final here and im done with chapter 2, as usual i hope you guys enjoy it and i dont own Maplestory or any other series that appears in this fanfic**

[Kerning City, Viper's hideout]

"What's wrong Viper? It seemed that your heart stopped beating a moment there." Omni asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"It's him…the…Bla…Black Mage, but it's impossible... " said Viper with his voice still trembling.

"So it seems, but what exactly about this individual could frighten a man of your valor out of his wits? This "Black Mage" is but a lowly mage. I had expected more of a challenge after all this time."

Viper still shaken, replied in an agitated tone: "No… you don't get it, this… is bad…no catastrophic…no even that can describe how much of a danger this poses to the **World**."

Omni, still unconvinced, grimaced. "Well, right about now, the only thing worse than catastrophic I see here would be the _**Gallant**_ Viper quivering in fear from a lowly mage."

However, as Omni noticed that Viper was showing an expression that he had never once seen in the 2 years they were together, he immediately added on: "Well, if you are so shaken, why not confide in me, my friend. Tell me more about this ' **Black Mage'** you speak of."

Viper gave off a conflicted look that seemed as if even the slightest mention of the topic would bring him agony. Omni however, did not even have the slightest notion of rushing Viper and instead left Viper some time to settle down.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Viper spoke up in a solemn tone.

"The Black Mage was a mage from centuries back; he was once pure, talented and eventually made his way up to the big leagues of the mages. He was even known as the White Mage, where he was dedicated to protecting mankind, before he eventually turned into a monster whose only purpose was to oppress, to control."

At this point, Viper gave a deep sigh. As Omni was about to express his concerns, Viper raised a hand to signal him that it was fine, before he resumed his tale.

"The _White Mage_ had believed in the potential mankind had as long as they were free; to grow as a race whilst helping one another, coexisting in harmony; to prevent any discrimination towards anyone, living in fairness, happiness."

Omni chimed in: "Eh, he sure seemed like an optimistic guy, seems to contrast with your Black Mage dude."

"Indeed he does, at that point of time that is…" and Viper's voice started trailing off, and gave off the impression that he was able to relate himself to the Mage's circumstances.

"What's wrong? If I'm not mistaken, you seem to see something in him that's in you."

As Viper was about to glare at Omni, Omni hastily added on: "However, it is not my place to pry into your private affairs, unless you wish to confide in me of course, to which I will always be willing to. For a friend."

"I won't." replied Viper with a gruff voice. He added on: "May I continue?"

"Whenever you are ready"

"He had held such high hopes for mankind's growth, he was looking forward to their future. However, he was betrayed by his beliefs. Despite his valiant efforts in trying to improve the lives of mankind, to sow the seeds of harmony, mankind still succumbed to their inner desires, committing the seven deadly sins. Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride. The people were in **envy** over what weren't theirs, and **lusted** for it. Eventually, their **greed** took over and they committed heinous acts to satisfy their **gluttony.** This situation took a turn for the worse when the people felt no need to work hard anymore with all the looting, robberies and burglaries going on, the manifestation of **sloth.** The high and mighty had their riches taken away from them, which was a big insult to their **pride** and they turned that frustration into power and unleashed their **wrath** onto the people. This escalated into a war, which seemed never endless. Every day was a living hell for the innocents, caught in between the war of the high and low classes..."

"What exactly triggered the change in their hearts though? It seems like the work of **Curse Magic** to me." A curious Omni cut in.

"Till this day, no one really knows why, but I think it to be the…never mind."Viper stopped midway in his reply, leaving a puzzled Omni.

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Viper immediately faked a cough and carried on.

"In the face of all the atrocities committed by the race he thought to be **full of potential,** I guess something precious in him snapped and from that point on, the White Mage was lost to the world. He came to the conclusion that mankind would only destroy themselves if left to their own devices. He turned his back on all that he believed in, that only with free will would one prosper. He instead believed that men were nothing but mindless sheeps and they would require a shepherd to raise them. That moment resulted in his transition into the Black Mage."

At this point, Viper paused and appeared to be in deep thought.

"Mana for your thoughts Viper? You appear to be disturbed."

"It's nothing much, it's just…I can't say I can't sympathize with him, to be betrayed by all that he believed in…maybe, it really is the truth…huh."

"I beg your pardon? What was that?"

"Nothing…anyways, as I was saying, he decided to dedicate himself to dominating the world and rule over mankind, but to do so he required power. Thus, he started to do immense research on the respective forces governing the world, which I'm sure you are very familiar with Omni. He decided that **Time** was the most important of them all, also the strongest. If one were to overcome and control time, it would certainly be no exaggeration to say that that person would be omnipotent; the possibilities on what to do with it would be limitless. With that in mind, he set off to the holy grounds of **The Temple of** **Time,** where it is forbidden to set foot in at that point in time. With his unholy magic, he successfully slayed the goddess of time, Rhinne, thus obtaining absolute control over the Temple of Time. One would wonder why his former colleagues would not make any attempt to stop him, they would…if they could, but they were assassinated by the Black Mage before his takeover of the Temple of Time. Gradually as his powers and empire grew, so did his heart, towards evil that is. He became callous and each time he slew a god governing a specific force, his heart became cold. He was filled with disdain at how his subordinates acted; stabbing each other in the back for a chance at promotion, betrayal was uncommon in his empire, such to the point that he even doubted whether humanity truly was worth even governing. He eventually grew to become sadistic in nature, enjoying the sufferings of others. He then plotted to unite the world with the pretense of forging a glorious nation, giving them false hope, before he would ultimately crush them and would revel at the sight of their despaired faces. This was about 30 years into his regime, by then, there were quite a number of people already unhappy with his rule and revolted. When the Black Mage personally took care of the matter, the people were in despair at how powerless they were in the face of the Black Mage. However, their cries for help were not unheard and 5 brave souls took it upon themselves to renew the hope of the people and end the madness. The 5 heroes got into combat with the Black Mage and came to the realization that he couldn't be killed no matter what they did. That was when they decided to cast a pentagon shaped sealing spell on him, casting the Black Mage into an eternal slumber. Their heroic acts seemed to have rubbed off on the people and from then on, mankind slowly progressed out of its dark history, with certain exceptions you see in Kerning today that is."

"Mhhmm, I see, so this Black Mage wasn't a mere stripling after all, thank you for clearing that misunderstanding my friend. I now see where this is going. His seal is somehow losing it's strength over time and those anomalies present currently is the result of his…vengeance aura oozing out. Brr, what a scary guy. However, if only I wasn't at a mere 20% power, I would then need not fear even him."

Viper merely stares coldly at Omni with steely eyes, before saying dryly: "I doubt that, he was a feared tyrant with powers that surpass even a god."

Omni smiles back at him and says: "You seem to know quite a lot regarding this particular individual it seems. Not many people have knowledge of this; it would seem you have hidden something from me."

Viper stares back at Omni, before snorting: "Hmph, couldn't hide that from you eh?"

"One of the Five Heroes that fought against the Black Mage was an Aran."

"Correct me if I'm mistaken, but that would be the title of your family, no?"

"It was my ancestor that fought him once, records of the battle still exists in the family record, it's what worries me most. The data is not exactly reassuring, collateral damage to the extent that the entire geographical landscape of the Leafre Continent was altered."

"That's…"

"And that was from a single spell he casted; can you top that, _**magus?**_ "

A worried Omni gulps down his throat and speaks up after a short pause, : "that does indeed call for concern, however there is a more pressing matter at hand right now. The breaking of that seal is damaging the time space continuum that is not only from our dimension, but it is receiving damage from other dimensions as well. Should this go on, we will without a doubt be annihilated along with the other worlds."

"We will need to devise a countermeasure for this, fast."

The situation was dire indeed, with what seems to be the return of the ancient evil, along with a ticking time bomb that could result in the destruction of numerous worlds.

[Unknown area]

"Is tha…sou…of...bir,lon…ti…i…com…bac? Af… …"

Well thats Chapter 2 and it might be boring or interesting i dont really know, but please feedback regarding improvements and all. Do look forward to Chapter 3. Thank you


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Seven Day Trial**

 **Whew, finally got chapter 3 done, well as usual i hope you guys will enjoy it and I do not own Maplestory or any other franchise that appears in this fanfiction**

[Kerning City, Viper's Hideout]

"We absolutely cannot allow the Black Mage to be resurrected no matter the costs, is there any way to stop it Omni?"

Omni said with a difficult look on his face, "Well, strictly speaking, as of now, the only thing I can be sure of is that these distortions are caused by the Black Mage. However, whether the distortions are even related to his unsealing is still a mystery even to me."

Upon hearing it, Viper twitched his eyebrows and placed his head onto a table with both hands covering it, immediately creating a tense atmosphere. A minute of silence passed and the atmosphere in the room was getting even more tense.

As Omni was about to speak up, Viper interrupted him with a raspy voice : "Well then Omni, at the very least, can you ascertain whether the distortions can be stopped?"

Omni seemed to be perplexed by that sentence and answered with a puzzled look, "Well, although the distortions currently exist as miasmas, as time passes, the miasmas will start to take up a physical form, so assuming you have enough firepower, then you most definitely could destroy it."

"Good, that's all I needed to know." said Viper with a somewhat more relaxed tone, though still somewhat tense.

"But how would this piece of information help you in dealing with this ordeal?"

"Very much, you could even say that it is our key to victory." said Viper smugly.

"Please do elaborate, I am somewhat lost regarding your master plan."

"You said you had determined that the Black Mage was the source of the miasmas correct?"

"Indeed I have, and?"

"Answer me this then; what would it take to be able to spread one's influence to other dimensions?"

"Ahh, that would require the power of the gods itself, even then, it might be sufficient."

Viper then showed a smug look on his face, "You see, if it would require that much power to do so, then why would the Black Mage be able to do so while sealed, it proves two things. The first being that his seal is losing its potency, the second being that the Black Mage is using a large portion of his strength, then answer me this Omni, why would he do that?"

Omni then realized it as he widened his eyes. "Ahh, it would mean only one thing then, that his trying to break out. I see, well deduced Viper. This clears away all doubts that the distortions are indeed related to the Black Mage's seal. Now we need only devote our might to destroying the miasmas."

"Exactly"

"One more thing, how exactly do you plan to travel to the other dimensions?" I'm sure that devilish Black Mage accounted for the fact that no one can possibly stop his resurrection since only he can make that trip."

Viper then did something uncharacteristic of him; he had a fiery smile plastered over his face. "Don't worry, he might have accounted for that, but you said so yourself didn't you. To spread his miasmas over to other borders would require a large power level, added to the fact that he wields control over the forces governing this World and that he is sealed, means that there is pretty much nothing left that forbids us from transcending to the other dimensions."

"Yes indeed…the absence of those forces would allow one to do so, but who? As powerful as the arcane arts can be, even that cannot accomplish such a feat with ease."

"I am aware of that, **but** , what if you were at a location with the largest proportions of spiritual energy, say, the Temple of Time?"

Omni widened his eyes in amazement as he realizes Viper's plan, "Astonishing, you truly are a fascinating one, if left to me, I probably would have taken at least 15 minutes to come to this realization, but you…you took a mere one minute to put yourself above me. But I get where you are going with this, you intend for me to open a pathway through the dimensional borders using the Temple of Time with my arcane magic."

"Exactly, regardless, either the Black Mage or his distortions will get us, so there's only that option."

"Indeed, however, no matter how highly you think of my abilities, I seriously doubt just the two of us can accomplish this mission, after all, we might have solved the issues regarding transportation, but the journey will indeed be dangerous, we will be up against beings of untold power in any form."

"You are right, however, the people I had in mind for this mission aren't exactly fit for it at the moment."

"Does that include Ace and Jack, because I am pretty sure I can still sense their power levels in Victoria Island? Mhm, those were good times we had back then right Viper?"

Viper's eyebrows twitched behind his cowl as he said with slight annoyance. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that."

With a sigh, Viper entrusted Omni to go fetch Ace and Jack over as he goes to change his equipment. Without a doubt, this journey would indeed be a perilous one; his current gear that was meant to incapacitate humans would not suffice against the unknown beings that would spawn from the miasmas. He removes his cowl to reveal a dashing young man with dark hair cut short in a casual style; with steely eyes that shadow over the heavy eye bags that have formed over the years. He proceeds to a chamber that is filled with many labeled suits apparently built for every situation; speed suit, stealth suit, power suit, defensive suit, riot suit.

He walks over to the end of the chamber where it is a dead end, that is until he presses his palms against the walls which reveals a hidden biometric scanner. He enters the hidden room which reveals an enormous capsule, which was labeled "Caution". In it, could be seen an enhanced version of his current equipment along with a crescent shaped pole arm dyed in a shade of white, resembling snow.

[Some time later]

Viper is furiously typing into the supercomputer as a large vortex of energy appears and three figures emerge from the vortex. In the middle stood the ever levitating Omni, on the right was a beefy man with his hair curved and combed up and had a scowl on his face and was grumbling: "Man, I know it's been awhile Omni, but you didn't have to interrupt my daily television." On the other side was a slender guy that was slouching and had a mushroom haircut.

Viper looked onto them and with a sigh, addressed them with regards to the situation.

"So this sums up the briefing, any questions?"

The beefy man that was scowling a moment ago piped up in a carefree tone, "I've got one, why do we have to prevent this guy's resurrection? I say we let him revive himself, and then we take him down in style."

Viper groaned and snapped back, "The Black Mage's power far surpasses us all, and it would be wise not to underestimate his strength, **Ace."**

Ace replied in a flippant manner: "Well, what is there to fear from a centuries old dude when we have a thousand year relic o'our own."

As soon as Ace notices Viper is starting to seethe with anger that is made known when his breathing becomes erratic, he swiftly adds on: "But hey, I get it bro, this magey terror is gonna wreck us all, so we all have to stop those black smokeys by going on an epic quest and all, yep I'm totally up to speed yo."

Viper makes a louder groan and face palms himself as he laments, "This is why I was opposed to having you here, ugh…"

Ace cheerfully replies: "Man that bites. But hey, that's why we're buds aren't we bro? You're the clear yet plain water and I'm the juice that fills your life with fun."

Viper dismisses Ace's comments and reviews the plan again, "Well then, once again, this mission will require us to travel to different dimensions and make combat with beings of unknown origin. It will be an arduous journey, so I want all of you to go back and make your respective preparations. We will rendezvous at 0630 hours at these coordinates, where we will be led by Omni, whom will serve as our guide through the interdimensional pathway, and according to him, we will be tackling the more prominent signs he can detect, following a safe route that will lead us back here in one piece by four days, assuming we finish our work. We have only seven days, including today, to deal with this crisis. Dismissed"

As Viper returns to his room, Ace whistles and gives a wide grin, "Oh man oh man, this is going to be fun, although, I should probably go make sure my gauntlets are ready, don't want my pal to be pissed off at me on a big day. On that note though, Onii, how do you keep levitating like that, you never seem to run out of juice."

"Ah, well you see, levitation magic is about the simplest form of magic we practitioners of the arcane arts can do, after all, arcane magic was applicable in daily life."

"Ooo, interesting, though I'd probably forget about all that by tomorrow, gotta go, ciao, by the way, lighten up would ya, your Jill might be missin but still kid ."

As Omni watches Ace leave, he shows an amused expression and speaks to the meek looking guy who has a worried look written all over his face, "Well, Ace certainly is what they'd call the sunshine of the group, remaining so cheerful despite the dire circumstances we now face, amusing indeed. But he his right though, you shouldn't let this weigh on you, we are a team now, comrades in arm, if you've got any troubles, you may confide in me, my dear **Jack."**

"Um…yeah, thanks for the offer…I'm good."

[Next day, at random coordinates issued by Viper]

Viper clad in his usual dark armor and cowl with the exception of the crescent shaped pole arm he now wears over his back, sheathed, speaks up to his team in a serious tone. "Alright, we are all here, I trust you all to have made the necessary preparations. Let us move forth."

[Temple of Time]

Omni starts muttering incantations and slowly conjures a portal that links the Maple World to other worlds.

Ace as per usual, is chilled back, very much unlike the tensed Viper. "Wow, who knew that the arcane arts could even manipulate time right guys?"

Viper nonchalantly replies, "Yeah, Big surprise."

"Jeez, don't be such a wet blanket Vipes; c'mon back me up here Jacky old pal."

"We…shouldn't be fooling around today, we…should be serious."Jack stammered.

Soon the portal was done, and it was a magnificent sight to behold, in it could be seen countless of stars, perhaps even the brilliance of the galaxy itself, yet there was no time to be admiring the scenery.

"Come on my comrades, it is now time to seek out the unknown. Be sure to stick close to me at all times, once lost in there, you will never come back." Yelled Omni through the static sound of the portal.

And so, the journey had begun, four brave souls prepared to overcome all odds to save the Maple World. Their Seven day trial is now at the Sixth day.

 **And thats the end of chapter 3, looks like there will finally be some interesting actions coming on. Do look forward to it and as per usual please provide feedback, thank you. Signing out, fm**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Fateful Encounter**

 **Hello again, i'm here with chapter 4, you guys might find it a little too long but well it's here so i hope you enjoy it and as usual, I dont own Maplestory or any other franchise that appears in this fanfiction.**

[Within the Interdimensional Portals]

Omni has conjured a specially made mana shield to protect the others from getting their very existence wiped from passing through said portal.

"Maaan, how long till we get there Onii~~. I'm booored." Ace whined

"Now now, this isn't exactly a trip to a bathroom, so it is only natural for it to take at least 30 minutes, just be a little patient, my dear Ace." Omni assured Ace.

Before Ace could continue whining, Viper berates him. "It's only been 10 minutes, besides, this isn't a field trip, cut that slack and get serious, any form of sloppiness could be fatal."

"Man, harsh aren't you, chill out a little Vipes, ha-ha." Ace replies in his usual flippant manner.

"Ha-ha, sometimes never change, your just like how I remembered you from when we met a year ago, always the one to take things lightly, but I guess that's what defines you huh." Omni chimed in cheerfully. As he was about to add on… "!" Omni seemed to have detected something and his worries were reflected on his face.

"It would appear something is attempting to breach this barrier, which is odd by itself that there would be anything else other than us out here, but why would it try to penetrate this shield?"

"Could it have been the doings of the Black Mage? To thwart our plans?" Viper inquires with a grim look on his face.

"I'm afraid it isn't, this…being does not carry any traces of the Black Mage on him, at least through his aura anyhow." Omni answered with a perturbed look.

Ace then has a fiery smile appear on his face as he exclaims eagerly. "Oh yeah! This means it's clobberin' time; I was getting bored just sitting around doing a bunch o' nothing."

"While I would love to refute what you had just said, regrettably, I have to agree with you that this situation does indeed call for us to stand ready for…"

"For battle" An unknown voice mocks Viper and successfully draws the attention of the four. They instantly turn their heads to see who that mockery originated from. It belonged to a strange being with purple skin, with a muscular and lean figure while wielding a glowing mace; however, an eye catching thing regarding this strange invader would be his face. It was in a t-shape, with no facial features at all save the mouth.

Omni seemed to be in disbelief and shaken by this mysterious visitor's sudden presence, with sweat trickling down his face. "Impossible, there is still a force outside that is attempting to penetrate the barrier, how can you just slip in unnoticed…what are you?"

The mysterious purple being merely chuckled, "You need not know who I am, though I suppose I should enlighten you as such seeing as how you are perplexed as to how I infiltrated your puny shield." And he gave a smug grin, "All I will say is, I grasp **time** better, my quivering friend, and it was merely **time** for your barrier to end, and soon it shall be all of you as well!"

As soon as he finished his statement, he made a dash for the still shaken Omni, and as he is about to land a crushing blow to him with his mace, he is interrupted by a sudden wave of lightning.

"Hey pally, I don't know who you are! But if you think you can just waltz in and crap all over us, you're wrong!" Ace roared at the being with a menacing look on his face, his gauntlets now sparkling with green light.

Brought back to reality, Omni thanked Ace, "My thanks friend, I would like to join in the fray. But unfortunately I need to repel this unknown force still outside, so I'll have to sit this one out, but be careful, he isn't just a walk in the park."

"Don't worry about us Omni; we can handle this, just focus on holding the barrier." Viper instructed as he turned to join the fight.

"This is my fight Vipes, don't interfere, you too Jacky." As he says this, Ace infuses his gauntlets with the lightning element by drawing upon the powers of the lightning elemental itself, and begins his frenzy assault on the purple being.

Ace constantly remains on the attack and consistently dishes out thunderous blows, only to have the strange being come out unharmed and mocking him, which serves to only further provoke Ace and gaud him into unleashing more power. As the battle ensued, Ace's attacks were to no avail, leading to more frustration building up and finally he snapped.

"That's enough!" He hollered with rage, and begins powering up; his energy levels spiking to the point the entire barrier seemed to be crumbling apart.

The enigmatic being seemed to be alarmed and nervously said, "Hey, cool it there, you have enough power to obliterate everyone present."

"Whooooaaaaaa!"

Viper then leapt and delivered a hard punch to Ace, "Thud!"

"What do you think you're doing, idiot! You may be able to win this fight if you go all out, but what of the consequences? Think of the bigger picture, moron!" Viper roared

Ace stays speechless for a moment before a wide grin flashes across his face, "Heh, thanks bud, don't know what I'd be without you, though i wasn't trying to do what your thought i was." He turns to the being and approaches him with a determined look on his face while proclaiming, "Right now, I wish you'd be laying down where you stand lifeless, caused by my hands, but as it seems, I have something more important to care for than killing you."

"Hoh? What would that be?" The purple life form mused.

"Like working with my **friends** for a greater cause." Ace smirked, and in a flash, he zipped over to the being, leaving behind a trail of electricity, catching him off guard.

"!" The being fell back and Ace added on, "Lemme guess, I'm betting you assumed these babies I'm wearing only augment my strength, well here's something purple zoid, I can also utilize them to boost my speed as close to light speed." With that, Ace went for a low kick at lightning speed, at that moment however, when it seemed as if the attack had connected, the being's mace glowed and it managed to evade it by leaping upwards.

"!" Everyone was stunned; to be able to dodge an attack at light speed would require insane reflexes of the gods themselves.

"Gahaha, you thought I would get hit by that, well too bad, you lost the element of surprise with that first strike, though you did manage to surprise me, I'll give you that." The strange being mocked whilst in mid-air.

Ace did not snap back at it, contrary to what it had thought, which confounded the being to no end. "You know, as annoying as it is, you sure are right about stuff, but you are wrong though, the surprise element still isn't lost."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Who knows, but hey, as much as I'd like to be the **Ace** in the hole and follow traditions this time, there are exceptions for a **Jack in the hole.** " Ace gave a triumphant smile.

The being turned around to come face to face to Jack, who had shapeshifted and assumed the form of a mechanized gorilla and had his fists together raised overhead ready for a grand slam.

"Well, I certainly did not…"

"WHAM!" and Jack sent the being spiraling down, straight into an ice cage made with the innate abilities of the Aran, by Viper.

"Ugh, my head..." the being groaned in pain as he held his head. Soon, he realized his predicament; he was trapped in an icicle wall surrounded by Viper, Ace and Jack, who had returned to his original form.

"I believe you are woefully outmatched this time, it'd be best for both sides if you surrender now." Jack proclaims nonchalantly.

"Yeah purple head! You're not so invincible after all huh."

"That's enough Ace, now then, time to start talking, who are you, and why are you attacking us." Viper demanded with a harsh demeanor.

"Hahaha, well I guess I should reward you all for managing to get one on me, well my name is **Dark Terror** , also known as the **Faceless Void**. I hail from Claszureme. I have sensed a large shift in the timezones and found that the timelines have been polluted, so greatly altered that history of worlds itself have changed completed."

"And what has it got to do with your assault on us, Dark Terror." Viper pressed on.

"Gahaha, you really hope for me to believe that you lot are the good guys trying to save the universe?"

"I don't hope, I only expect. Regardless, it appears there has been a misunderstanding, that said, how did you get in here, through the barrier." Viper said dryly.

"Make a guess why would you." Dark Terror mused.

"I don't have time for games, Dark Terror, you'd better cooperate well." Viper pressured with a hiss.

"Ah ah ahhh, intimidation won't work on me my impatient friend."

"Hey! That's enough out of you, you got beaten, so just work with us, or you'll regret it."Aced bellowed.

"I have to return those words of _wisdom_ you said to me moments ago though, you are wrong about one thing. I haven't lost, I merely admitted to the fact that I was impressed that you lot of evildoers have managed to trap me."

"That's enough you! You're done." Ace shouted as he approaches it.

"You **presume** too much." Dark Terror's body begins to emanate a purple aura that soon envelops a certain radius around it.

"!" "Get back!" Viper yelled as soon as the aura appeared, but it was too late, the purple aura had already engulfed both Ace and Jack and in its aftermath, left a seemingly petrified Ace and Jack.

"Gahaha, you did well in avoiding my 'Chronosphere', however, that is but a mere fraction of my true powers, once I activate my mace, the range multiplies, and even your friend won't be spared then, it will truly mark the end of your evil. And to add insult to death, you will never know the true depths of my powers." Dark Terror laughed triumphantly.

Viper remained indifferent to Dark Terror's dismay, he had expected a more exaggerated reaction out of him, yet Viper went completely beyond its expectations. This frightened it, the fact that Viper could remain calm despite their impending doom.

Finally, Viper spoke up, breaking the tense atmosphere, "Chronosphere huh, on first glance, many would think it to be but an area of effect type of petrification, however, it is very likely an ability that completely freezes time itself in that area, leaving only you to freely move, the mace should serve to not only amplify the radius, but increase your physical capabilities, am I wrong?"

Dark Terror was stupefied; it was utterly dumbfounded as to how Viper had such honed mental strength along with a perceptive mind, to the point of even determining the true nature of 'Chronosphere'.

"Well it seems I'm not judging from your reactions, well its checkmate for you. Give it up and release them." Viper demanded.

"Don't get cocky evil doer, even if you know my abilities like the back of your hands, you still can't stop me, I still have my cosmic mace."Dark Terror anxiously retorted.

Flashing another mace in his grasp, Viper smirked with confidence and continued with sarcasm, "Oh, when you speak of mace, do you mean the one I snatched from you earlier, or the one I substituted that's currently in your possessions."

"You! When did you get that!"It panicked.

"It's not that hard, comes with my job, anyways, it's a big giveaway of your abilities, I know what you did with Ace awhile back. Your mace probably allows you to either slow down or reverse time, probably slowing down if you piece it together, with it you managed to dodge even Ace's light speed kick with ease, yet at the same time make it seem as though you were invulnerable, pretty foolish trick if you ask me. That also probably explains how you managed to fool Omni into thinking that there is still something outside."

It was then, when Jack slammed Dark Terror down, it was actually hurt by the attack, despite Jack being weaker than Ace, which proved Viper's theory. Realizing it's folly, it so much wanted to kick itself where it hurt.

Still, Dark Terror was unwilling to concede to Viper, and in an act of desperation, denied all of Viper's words. "You are bluffing! Even if what you said is true, the mace would have allowed me to prevent you from snatching it."

"Oh, you still think I'm bluffing huh, well why don't you see for yourself, go ahead, try your enhanced Chronosphere. While you are at it, Omni, I trust you have heard our conversation, it's okay to provide me aid." Viper taunted.

"You! You…"Dark Terror grew even more nervous.

"Go ahead, do it, why, you scared of using your own powers, unless it isn't as omnipotent as you claim it is?" Viper further pressured him and moved forward as Dark Terror retreated slowly.

No matter how hard it tried, it couldn't find any sign or proof that Viper was lying, Viper's steely eyes that seemed to contain an indomitable will; his body posture that was brimming with confidence, without any sign of faltering; his fiery smile that seemed to burn right through anything.

No matter what it did, Viper just seemed to be the epitome of confidence, to the extent that it terrified Dark Terror. Along with the fact that Omni was going to join in the fight further stressed out it's mental capacity, it all seemed to be torturing every fiber of it's being, pushing it to breaking point; as if it would be engulfed by its fear, it was madness. Without a doubt, Dark Terror was experiencing true **fear** , he who had always dominated others with ease, was actually frightened by a man with no exceptional combat abilities; him being the first person to suspect his abilities. It was paranoid of any move taken by Viper, be it even breathing, all took it's toll on its mind.

Finally, the fear won out, it could not take it any longer. "I surrender, you win. You were right, my ability does have it's limitations, mainly being the time limit, cooldown and my physical capabilities...i'm not exactly strong." It hastily stated as it admitted defeat.

Soon after dispelling the effects of Chronosphere and explaining everything to it, Dark Terror meekly apologized for jumping the gun and not hearing them out. "My sincere apologies, I was too concerned with the altering of the timelines that it blinded me so."

"Pfft, but you don't even have eyes to begin with." Ace joked and everyone had a good laugh.

Omni remarked, "But you all really should have been there to witness the ultimate showdown, Viper was simply spectacular, he made a grown alien grovel before him haha."

"Well…let's not mention that shall we, anyways, I can be of use to you, I can serve as your guide through the portal or tell you more about a time zone if you so wish, so please, allow me to aid you in your cause."

"Why certainly, we always welcome talents, even the weirdest ones." Viper smirked.

"By the way, um Viper, do you mind returning me my cosmic mace, I cannot roam around the Interdimensional Pathway freely." Dark Terror requested sheepishly.

"What are you talking about, it's always with you isn't it?"

"Huh, but you said you...wait…was that all…just…A BLUFF!?"Dark Terror could not believe it. "But you were so convincing with all that stern and all that, now you tell me it's a dud?"

"It was a tactical feint, and it worked, we managed to solve our issues and understand your strengths and weaknesses, so isn't all well."Viper grinned.

"Damned, I cannot believe I fell…"

"Crash!"

Viper, alarmed by this, hollered, "Omni, what's wrong?"

"This journey is indeed an arduous one…this trip is ill-fated, for us to run into an alien being who mistakes us as evil and now this…sigh…"Omni said with a heavy feeling. As Viper was about to pressure for an answer, Omni swiftly added on, "We have encountered a cosmic typhoon, one that has anything but an astronomical chance of happening and I don't know how long it would last."

"Ah, this type of storms, they typically last for at least a day, if I'm not mistaken." Dark Terror added on.

"Are you freaking kidding me! I've never been this lucky on the lottery!" Ace grumbled.

"I think the odds would be better with the lottery then encountering this, my friend." Omni sighed.

Viper ponders over it a moment and suddenly breaks the ice. "Omni, is there any energy signature of the miasmas in close vicinity?"

"Hold on a moment…Yes, there is, and it is close to manifesting a physical form now, but going there would take us way off course."

"Good enough for me." Viper then turns to Dark Terror and inquires, "Can you bring us there?"

"Definitely, such a meager feat is well within my reach." Dark Terror replied with pride.

"Excellent, Ace and Jack, I need you two to go and settle the distortion, I have something to discuss with Omni."

"Sure thing boss, well let's go Darky, Jacko." Replied Ace with his typical cheerfulness."

"My name is not Darky!"

"…Okay…"

Dark Terror murmurs something to his mace and encloses the three in a purple aura that allows them to travel through the pathway and they set off to a new world with their new comrade.

 **And thats that for chapter 4, pretty much got the intro finish and it's finally get into the main action. Do look forward to Chapter 5 and as usual please feedback on this chapter, especially the fight scene since it's my first time doing a fight scene and all that. Thank you. signing out, fm**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Dashed Hopes**

 **Well, Chapter 5 is finally done, i put quite some time into this, so i hope you guys will enjoy it. As usual, I DO NOT OWN Maplestory or any other series that appears in this fanfiction**

[Within the Interdimensional Portal]

"So, what did you want to consult with me my friend?" asked the thousand year old magus.

"I want to know more about the distortions and your 'arcane' magic."

"But I do not believe that such matters take precedence over **dispelling** the miasmas, enough to warrant your undivided attention. Also, I do not think it wise to just send Ace and Jack to deal with the situation, but I trust you have some plan in motion, no?"

"Their fine, just tell me what I want to know." Viper pressed on

[En route to the distortion]

"So, how did Vipes beat you? Just say it already Darko, I won't laugh, I promise." Inquired a curious Ace

"That… I'm telling you for the umpteen time, I'd prefer to refrain on touching that topic ever again, so please don't."

"C'mon, what's the harm in telling, right Jack?"

"…We should focus on the mission, Dark Terror, please brief us on the universe we are entering." Jack responded indifferently.

"Man, how cold, you almost seem like Vipes, heh." Ace teased.

"Yes, Jack here is right. Ehem, well, about the universe we are about to enter right now, it is generally much like your world, with **certain** exceptions. If I had to give it a name, this would be the **Type-Moon** Universe. The distortion is located in the timeline known as the **Fate** time stream. Strangely enough, this timeline diverges into multiple paths even without external interference. The one we will be entering will be the **Fate/Stay Night** timeline, just moment after the summoning are all complete. At this moment in time, the most prominent event would be the **Holy Grail War,** with this being the **Fifth one.** There are **seven** mages who will participate and summon legendary beings known as **servants,** to fight in their steed. It's somewhat like a tournament with the exception of it being any time and place." Dark Terror explains.

"Yeah, well the only thing I can remember from your mumbo jumbo would be they have a battle with seven fighters."

Disregarding Ace's usual quips, Jack went on, "Has the timeline been altered yet"

"Yes indeed, if you so wish, I shall project a **cosmogram** for you all to bear witness to the change."

"Cosmo…gram? Anyways, please do so."

Dark Terror projects what seems to be a hologram from his mace. In the image could be seen a black blob that was oozing with darkness, facing a number of warriors.

[Events happening in Cosmogram]

"Damn it, what is this thing!? Our physical attacks just slips through it!" Yelled a man with blood trickling down his face, clad in deep ultramarine tights wielding a spear colored with a beautiful shade of crimson.

"It's protected by a powerful force field that nullifies my spells." Exclaims a mysterious woman cloaked in a hood.

"Tch, so physical and magical attacks won't make the cut huh, and it hits harder than an eighteen ton oil tanker, damn, just what have we gotten ourselves into…" A tall man with white hair and tanned skin; black body armor along with a tattered red overcoat grunted while covering a bloodied wound around his abdomen.

"Guess the only way to stop it is to try to overpower it in one shot, though **Saber** would probably be our best bet, with her anti fortress **noble phantasm** , except she's down for the count when she protected us from that thing's blast." The comment belonging to a young woman with long and beautiful purple hair; with an eye cover over her eyes who is panting heavily

"We are nearing our limits, even the combined attack we did at the start had no effect, and with **Saber and Berserker** out of the fight, our chances of winning are near zero." The hooded woman shrieked in trepidation.

"Hmph, well I guess I have to use it after all…" The tall man in red proclaimed.

"Do what now, **Archer?** " The spear wielding warrior asked skeptically. "We already used our **noble phantasms** just now."

"Hmph, not really, there is still one more trick up my sleeve, but you guys need to stay back. And help me tell that unbearable master of mine…not to worry about me…"

With that, the man clad in red began murmuring an incantation.

" _I am the bone of my sword_

 _Steel is my body and fire is my blood_

 _I have created over a thousand blades_

 _Unknown to Death, Nor known to Life_

 _Have withstood pain to create many weapons_

 _Yet, those hands will never hold anything_

 _So as I pray, unlimited blade works."_

The area is immediately enveloped by an illusionary fire, transforming the formerly green landscape into a desolate land, with black gears whirling about their positions and no end in sight. The land is decorated by an innumerable number of blades, all with renowned fame, Excalibur; Gungnir; Caladbolg and many more. The strange being remained unmoved by the abrupt change in their geographical location and seemed to be staring right at him. The man known as Archer smirked and chuckled, "This, is a **reality** **marble**. Welcome to my world, all the blades here are the finest of blades, made to perhaps even slay the gods. Now then, shall we begin?"

Soon after, the reality marble dissipitated, revealing the victorious being and a fading Archer.

"Heh, it seems I couldn't…*cough* seal the deal…sorry…" apologized a near death Archer.

With the last obstacle standing in its way now gone, the being began its onslaught on the others.

[Back to Jack and company]

Jack was left speechless, and even the usually cheerful Ace did not make a sound.

"This…is what would happen should it be left alone." Dark Terror broke the silence with those words.

"This…this…man…haha…it's a lot to take in all of a sudden…guess Vipes was right, the situation is dire…" Ace replied with a failed attempt to sound like usual.

"This…is beyond brutal…we have to stop it." Said Jack with determination, snapping out of his daze.

"Indeed, that is why we are here. But rest assured, after the anomaly, being the strange being inside is gone, the timeline would eventually be restored to normal."

The atmosphere eased immensely with that statement.

"Woohoo, guess that settles things huh, we just gotta get in there and kick some slimy ass." Ace declared with passion

"Still…we should not take this lightly, we should proceed with caution, remember, it is impervious to physical harm and can defend against magic." Jack warns Ace.

"Alright, we are arriving there, just right at the start of the battle, where the **servants** have just formed a temporary alliance."

[Fate/Stay Night World]

The sky suddenly rips apart and the trio came flying out of the hole and spirals downwards.

"Waaaaaaaah! What is this, Daaarrkkyyy?!" Ace screams in part excitement and fear, with the air pressure threatening to tear apart his jaws.

"I did not plan for thiiiiiissss!" Dark Terror yelled

As they are about to touch the ground, Jack shape shifts and assumes the form of a trampoline and successfully catches the two without incident.

"Whew, thanks… a bunch Jack, I…I thought we were going to be pancakes…still, Darko, you should work on your safety landings." Ace stammered, still shaken from the experience of falling from almost 60 stories high.

"How is it my fault, it's the distortion that messed up my entry…" answered an equally exasperated Dark Terror.

They stop their bickering when they notice a group of six approach them. A young woman standing in the middle of the group scrutinizes them and then demanded with pride. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The woman had a slender figure, with finely tuned golden hair and white skin; her eyes carried strong will and clad in her shining blue armor, seemed to exude a resplendent radiance, carrying a majestic air. Ace was captivated by her beauty and being the ever smooth talker, began: "Well my fine lady, we have come in not so shining armor to save you. By the way, think you free tonight?"

The woman was livid at Ace's seeming insolence and refuted, "Wha… How dare you patronize me! I am **Artoria Pendragon,** the **King of Knights, of the Saber Class** in this Warand I will not tolerate your actions!"

As the woman was about to make her move, Jack intervened.

"My apologies, my friend here was merely mesmerized by your alluring beauty and dignified self, so he might have been a bit too rude."

Saber's face turned beet-root at his praise and stammered, "Well…I suppose I can forgive him on your account…But why are you all here?"

"We have come here to provide you all aid in your soon to come battle, I trust you are all on your way to combat an unknown being?" Jack replied.

"Yes…but how would you know all this?" Saber was confounded.

Before Jack could give a reply, Dark Terror cut in, "I'm afraid we cannot reveal the reason why, just know that we are here to exterminate that being."

"Keh! You expect us to buy that crap!? For all we know you might be that thing's spies!" The man in deep ultramarine tights scorned.

"That is right, we should not be so easily mislead by strangers, regardless, I doubt you lot can keep up, especially since you are but **humans,** except for you, the purple one…what are you?" A woman with eye covers added on.

"We do not expect you to trust us, but we ask for a temporary alliance, to quell the threat you currently face, it is best for both sides I'd say." Dark Terror rebuked.

"Grrr…Roar!" The roar belonged to a monstrous sized man with ferocious eyes and dark skin tone, who had incredible muscle tones; his overwhelming pressure was intense, even for Ace to bear.

"You see, even **Berserker** disagrees, let's get a move on already, sorry kiddos, no showtime for you." The man in ultramarine tights mocked.

As they are about to leave, Jack pipes up, "But you see, you all will get massacred by it should you refuse our help."

The others are clearly agitated by Jack's seeming threat and their bloodlust was so strong that perhaps even Viper would feel pressured. However, Jack confidently went on about their respective abilities and successfully manages to persuade them into believing that they were on their side while omitting the detail on crossing between dimensions.

Saber, however, was still in deep thought.

"What's troubling you?" Jack inquired

"Eh!? It's just…I fret for all of your safety, if what you said is true, then there is no guarantee for your safety, seeing as how two of you are humans and the other…a…"

"Please, don't worry about us, we can handle ourselves, moreover, what a pleasure to be fighting alongside the famed king Arthur…err…Artoria." Jack assured.

"I hope you don't me asking, but why would you go so far as risking your lives for all this, for us servants, it is our duty to serve as our master's swords, but you…"

"I…want to protect everyone, regardless of what they are, I don't care about their duty or anything like that." Jack replies with a fiery passion

Saber seemingly gets flustered over the comment and her face turns red, causing Jack to get embarrassed as well. Noticing this, the tall man cloaked in a red overcoat spoke up, "Ehem, well I believe we should introduce ourselves, my name is…nah…it's not important, just know me by my servant class, Archer. That guy in blue is Cu Chuulain, Holy child of Ireland, also known as **Lancer**. The woman that blinds herself with eye covers is…hmm…how do I put it."

"Just call me **Rider.** " The woman sighs.

"Well, there is supposed to be another Heroic Spirit here, **Assassin,** but due to certain reasons...he is unable to aid us **.** That big guy that's pretty intimidating is the famous demigod, Heracles, though in this war his just an insane powerhouse, also known as Berserker. This lady here that shrouds herself in mystery with that cloak is **Caster**. And last but not least, our proud King of Knights, Saber. By the way, we aren't always on such 'good terms', we are in a temporary alliance, much like with you all." Archer concluded.

Jack then proceeds to introduce themselves and shares some information regarding the being. Before they could devise a countermeasure, a creepy chill could be felt everywhere.

"! It's here! Let's go everyone, to defeat this vile being!" Saber declared

They arrive at a grassland, just in time to bear witness to a dark mist clouding together and manifesting into a slimy blob-like creature of pure darkness. It exuded a beastly aura; it's evil oozing out, enveloping the surrounding with darkness, turning it pitch black; the pressure so intense, as if it would suck the life out of people if they just stay near it.

"What…what is this." Spoke a bewildered Rider

"I…I have never felt anything with such evil intents…" Casper shook in trepidation

"Well, enough said, lets kick ass!" Ace shouted a war cry as he leapt towards the creature with his gauntlets charged up.

Once he reached it, he immediately clapped his hands with a force that shook the ground; the lightning from his gauntlets rubbed off each other, discharging it, releasing it into the air above in an abundant amount before it came crashing down onto the creature. Such an amazing display of thunder it was, that everyone was forced to retreat as the lightning had slowly enveloped the area, creating a ton of smoke, limiting their vision.

"Now that's what I'd call thunderous applause." Ace boasted

"Did he get him?" Lancer asked

They waited with bated breath for the smoke to disperse with the exception of Ace, Jack and Dark Terror. They knew it far too easy for the being to be defeated this easily. To the Servant's dismay, the blob-like creature did not so much as take a scratch.

"Well…that was about half of my strength…damn…" Ace smiled worriedly

"Your attempts just affirmed that this thing is also not weak to sonic waves." Jack consoled

As Berserker roars with might and prepares to make it's assault, the being suddenly starts pulsating and creates a weird sound that reverberates through the area.

"What!? What is it doing?" Lancer shouted

The creature starts building up a lot of dark energy above it's head, soon overflowing with it as energy sparks start to appear. Everyone watches in horror at the energy being collected. Caster mutters in disbelief, "No…that's too much energy…we can't match that." Jack widened his eyes in disbelief and immediately barked orders. "What are you guys doing, quick, fire your noble phantasms, Now!"

But it was too late, the being rises into the sky and condenses the mass of energy into a small ball before launching it towards them at a tremendous speed.

At this moment, where everyone is at a loss of what to do, Saber dashed towards the projectile, unsheathing her sword. Upon seeing this, Jack realizes that this was the moment where Saber would sacrifice herself. A sudden impulse came over him, his thoughts went wild; he did not want any sacrifices; he did not want to lose anyone; he had to protect everyone; more importantly, he did not want to lose her. It wasn't love, but he just knew, he didn't want anything to happen to her.

With those feelings, he made an abrupt dash towards the blast that shocked Ace.

"Wha…Jack, get back here?!" Ace exclaimed

Jack ignored him and continued enroute. Ace realized his intentions, and though could not rest at ease, was somewhat impressed by Jack's resolution, and decided to respect his decision, even if it meant certain death.

Saber braced herself for impact as the blast drew ever the closer, and at that moment, she was pushed aside by Jack. Saber was astounded by Jack's actions, even happy to a small extent but moreover, she did not want to lose him, was it love? She didn't know, she could only shriek in despair as the blast made impact with Jack, triggering an explosion so massive, that the shockwave caused several buildings in the vicinity to collapse.

The smoke dispersed, and contrary to their beliefs, it was Berserker who had bore the brunt of the attack. He was badly wounded and after struggling to stay conscious, he immediately collapsed to the ground.

Archer catches him and sighs, "Whew, that was close, if it was that kid, he would have been a goner, but with your noble phantasm Berserker, **God's Hand** was it? You can reincarnate twelve times, so I wouldn't worry about you."

As he says this, everyone else is relieved, with the exception of Ace, who only explains with sorrow, "That's not Heracles…it's Jack…his power is shapeshifting…"

Archer's eyebrows raises as his keen eyes notice a change in its physique, and then it reverts back to Jack's original form. Saber immediately rushes to him to check on him. Jack weakly murmurs, "Are you all right?"

A small tear drops from her eyes as she tells Jack to rest, as she projects **Avalon,** the scabbard of her sword, Excalibur, and uses Avalon's magnificent healing properties to heal Jack.

"Um I would hate to break this touching moment, but the creature is still right there." Dark Terror cut in.

The being starts making irregular sounds, as if it were frustrated at its failed attempt to annihilate them.

"Let all of us cover for the kid and Saber, after all, this kid is but human, yet he had more balls than all of us, I say as **Heroic Spirits** we take this guy down." Lancer proclaims.

With his noble act, he had managed to not only avert Saber's death, but lift the morale of the Heroic Spirits.

"Alright, let's do this boys and girls, I say we unleash our ultimate moves all at once on this thing. That will probably be our best bet, though for Berserker, you'd better stay out. " Ace states

"Agreed" The Heroic Spirits responded simultaneously

"Great, you too Darko, on my cue, 1,2,3!" Ace hollered

Lancer infuses his magic into the holy spear **Gae Bolg** , and with the strength that overpowered the mighty hound Culain, he thrusts it towards the creature.

Caster spreads wide her arms, and harnessing the magic that hailed from the **Age of the Gods** , she exclaims, " **Rain of Light"** A volley of beams of light is rapidly fired at the creature.

Rider whistles and calls upon a mythical creature from the **Age of the Gods** , **Pegasus,** collects her energy and uses her noble phantasm, **Bellerophon,** which immediately turns the Pegasus into a shining light that charges towards the enemy with a force far beyond that of a dragon.

Archer projects a bow and **Caladbolg II,** readying his aim, he chants

" _I am the bone of my sword"_

Caladbolg II then starts glowing as he shouts for the last time, "Caladbolg!" He launches it with the precise aim belonging to the Archer Class Spirits.

Dark Terror uses his time manipulating powers to suspend the being and hold it in place, Ace charges his gauntlets and starts building a ball of electrical energy, similar to how the creature had done so, then he compresses it and launches it at burst speed.

The combined attacks converge and focus on a single point of the being's barrier, their combined might creating a shockwave so powerful that the landscape is slowly starting to come apart.

Jack watches on as he is being healed. "Go…Saber…they need you…don't worry about me, I've almost recovered…" She ponders a moment and proceeds to aid them.

She draws the legendary blade Excalibur, the sword that is said to be etched with the hopes and dreams of soldiers, from past, present and future. The blade shimmers with an impossible radiance, illuminating even the dark, the numerous glowing light surrounding her seeming to be the essence of hope itself. Now, as the undefeated King of Knights, she calls upon it's name.

"Excalibur!" and Saber slashes down, firing the light energy towards it. Truly, it was a magnificent scene to behold, even just a glimpse of that light, filled everyone who bore witness to that remarkable brilliance, with a feeling of contentment.

With the addition of the legendary Excalibur, the being finally relented, and was seemingly eradicated.

"Huff, huff, did…did we do it?" Lancer panted wearily

"Yeah, I think we did buddy." Ace replied with a weary smile

As everyone was about to rejoice, Archer spoke up, "It's…too early to review the fight, look, it's not over yet." He said in a dreadful tone.

With his clairvoyance ability, he could notice much earlier than the others that it was not over.

Everyone watched with despair as the being slowly started to reform itself, albeit in a slightly smaller form this time…

 **Well, in case you guys didn't notice, i tweaked the settings of Fate/stay night a little as while as the character's personality. This chapter is pretty fast paced i guess at the middle, but regardless, i hope your have enjoyed it, do look forward to Chapter 6: Trump Card, and as usual, please feedback regarding this. Thank you. signing out, fm**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Trump Card**

 **Happy New Year Guys, here's my first fanfic of 2016. It took awhile but here it is. I hope you guys enjoy it and as usual, I Do Not Own Maplestory or any other franchise that appears in this fanfic.**

[Fate/Stay Night World]

The regenerated blob-like creature starts vibrating with irregularity, as if to mock the fighters present for their failed attempts to destroy it.

"No…This can't be…" Rider fell to her knees and said in despair.

"This is insanity! Nothing could have withstood that, our most potent spells combined was nigh unstoppable…" Caster said carrying much agitation in her tone.

"Grr, this thing just won't die, just what the hell is going on!" Lancer roared in frustration.

They grew more despondent with every second that passed; their hopes of ever emerging victorious starting to spiral down into oblivion. To add insult to injury, the being started taunting them by lowering it's barrier, leaving itself exposed to danger. This stirred up mixed feelings among them, mostly caution.

However, it was enough to spur Berserker into a frenzied rage, leading it to go on a rampage, charging directly towards it. Berserker showed amazing agility, moving at a speed one would not expect from his stature; the earth shook under his immense strength with every step he took; roaring an earth shattering battle cry as he advanced. As he reached the being, it raised it's axe-sword overhead and with it's herculean strength, swung it down with a force the equivalent of a magnitude eight earthquake.

The Heroic Spirits, for a brief moment, had their hopes up. However, it became ever the apparent to them the overwhelming difference in their strength as the being had 'caught' Berserker's savage attack and seemed to be gloating. Berserker felt an incandescent rage come over him, to crush that being before him and turn it to mincemeat. Yet, he was unable to shake free and could only roar in frustration.

The being then starts reenacting the scene from before, building a ludicrous amount of energy, ready to fire it at Berserker at point-blank range. Everyone could only watch on as the inevitable happen.

"Noooo!" Jacked shrieked in agony

Berserker could only resign to it's fate and the as the blast detonated, in his last few moments, he recalled fondly of the times he had with his Master; those brief moments of respite, happiness he felt; yet regret that he had to abandon his Master now, and that they would no longer be together…ever. What emerged from the debris was but a shadow of his remains, his skull.

"Hey…that can't be it yeah? I mean, his got his reincarnation technique right? Right?" Ace became edgy

Everyone remained silent, as if to mourn for the loss of a noble warrior, albeit a mad one. Finally, Archer spoke up solemnly. "It is true, he does have twelve stock of lives from his noble phantasm, but here's the crux of the problem, it doesn't go out one at a time, should the damage sustained by his body be high enough, he would be eradicated instantly. Though normally no one can accomplish such a feat, I believe you've seen what this abomination can do, should he revive, Berserker would have done so already, his chances of survival are slim…"

"What…that's just…no…" Jack was grief stricken. "It must be a mistake! It probably is a delay or something…right? Right?!" He was turning hysterical.

"I'm afraid that's not the case, his noble phantasm would have activated roughly ten seconds ago, should he have withstood the blast." Archer blatantly states

"Grr, Damn it! I failed…I couldn't protect everyone again…" Jack pounded the ground in frustration as he blamed himself for Berserker's sacrifice.

"Jack…it couldn't be helped, not one of us here would have wanted this outcome." Saber consoled

Ace, ever the sunshine of the team, steps up to Jack, "Quit beating yourself over this kid, sure you might be angry over this, but kicking yourself in the balls ain't gonna do squat here. I don't know what happened to you for you to get so shaken by this, but for now, lets focus on the task at hand, well at least that's what Vipes would say." He smiled sheepishly.

Jack remained unmoved, and just stood where he lay, with his head hung in defeat. Ace, seeing it as futile to persuade Jack, and time consuming not the least with the beast still there.

He encourages the Heroic Spirits with , "Guys, it's not over yet, not as long as we are still here. Let's do this, for Heracles."

"What's the use…we emptied our mana reserves for that last assault, what good did it do us…even if that monster doesn't finish us off, our bodies will vanish!" Caster screamed in fear

"And you would dishonor your fallen comrade for your own cause?" Dark Terror chided.

"Leave it Dark Terror, if they won't wise up and help us, then so be it, we'll finish this thing off with just the two of us. Even if I have to do this alone" Ace declared with resolution.

He prepares to make a desperate attempt at the creature, before he is stopped by Saber.

"Fool! Why risk your life over this trivial matter, when not one of us has caved in yet."Lancer hollered

"Indeed, we are Heroic Spirits after all, we do have our pride." Saber remarked from a distance.

With renewed faith after hearing those words, Ace got fired up and rejoiced. "Oorah, now lets go finish this meaningless battle, shall we?"

"Hold it, to prevent any more needless sacrifices, I suggest you allow me to be the pivot of our next attack." Archer called out to the impatient Ace

"Meaning?" Ace asked with skepticism

"As Caster said, we have exhausted our mana, to confront it in our current state would be suicidal. But I surmise that I should have the sufficient capacity to slay this dreaded beast should I have time."

"How long do you need?" Dark Terror questioned

"A minute or so" Archer replies

"You got it Archer! Consider it free, woohoo, operation 'Minute of Desperation' begins!" Ace maniacally laughs as he proceeds to the monster with burst speed.

This time, his gauntlets began emitting electricity, though minor at first, soon escalated in to a vortex of lightning.

"Annnnddd, now for the finish!"

Ace makes a gesture with his hands and the vortex envelops the monster, trapping it in an electrical cage.

"Whew, glad that worked, by the way Darky, mind helping me freeze him as well, for insurance you know." Ace asked

"From what I hear, it would seem that your technique was made on a whim…sigh, but I shall comply with your wish then." Dark Terror heaves a sigh and proceeds to lock the being in time.

Soon after, Archer yells, "I'm ready, everyone get back!"

"Aights, before that, lightning cage…explode!" Ace then shatters the lightning cage with his will, causing a grand explosion. As the smoke clears, the creature stands seemingly unaffected.

"Well, it doesn't matter, go ahead Archer, finish him with whatever ultimate move you've been saving." Ace chimed

"Very well" Archer than begins murmuring the same incantation the trio heard in the Cosmogram.

" _I am the bone of my sword_

 _Steel is my body and fire is my blood_

 _I have created over a thousand blades_

 _Unknown to Death, Nor known to Life_

 _Have withstood pain to create many weapons_

 _Yet, those hands will never hold anything_

 _So as I pray, unlimited blade works."_

In that instant, the field is wrapped over an illusionary fire and is transformed to the same dreary land that Jack and company had witnessed in the Cosmogram.

"Wait…this is your grand scheme?!" Ace yelled

It became apparent to the trio that Archer would face impending doom should he continue fighting.

"No…there has to be another way…stop this, we can find another way to beat him." Jack pleaded

"? I understand it to be unwise to face this abomination in solo combat, however, I don't think you all should write me off as dead yet, I also have just enough mana left to preserve myself, so don't worry." Archer responded, still perplexed as he was oblivious to the fact they had seen the future.

"But…" Jack was at a loss of words, still grieving over Berserker's demise

"That's enough Jack, if you aren't going to help, then at least respect his resolve and stay out of this." Ace reprimanded sternly

"Don't be too harsh on him Ace, though I agree with you" Saber defended Jack

"Enough chatter, our star is getting bored." Archer cut in their little argument

The being starts growling, as if to say it's getting ready to attack. "Well, sorry to keep you waiting, I'll skip the introductions then, shall we begin?" Archer asks, though not expecting to receive a response.

He begins his assault by projecting a dozen of legendary blades and firing them as projectiles towards the being simultaneously. Excalibur, Gungnir, Kusanagi, all the famed weapons of legend present at the battlefield was truly a sight to behold. The simultaneous assault scored a direct hit onto the creature, though it's impenetrable fortress shielded it.

"Tch, so it just won't work huh, to think these are legendary weapons too…" Archer lamented

"Heh! That's cause your alone, but don't worry, we got your back!" Lancer called out as he made a zip line towards the beast and pierced it, though it did not have any effect.

"Although my code of honor doesn't condone it, I shall make an exception and intervene in your duel, Archer." Saber declares as she strikes the beast with the mystical blade Excalibur

"We too" Said Caster and Rider

"Us too, looks like we can avert your imminent death, right Darky?" Ace joked in his flippant tone

"Ignore that part about imminent, but that aside, indeed, as long as we hold faith and stand together, there will be no way this pile of goo will mean anything to us." Dark Terror replies

"You guys…Hmph, well well, if you lot don't mind, then let us do this." Archer chuckles, part anxious part contented.

The being seemingly aggravated by their stand together, starts pulsating as it did before, though this time much more vigorously. A large cluster of energy is built up by the monster, and then condensed into a small energy ball as it is launched towards the fighters.

"Brace yourselves, lets do this!" Ace hollered

They unleash their ultimate moves once again, in a last ditch attempt for survival. But to their dismay, the ball was undeterred by their struggle and continued advancing down it's path. As everyone resigned to their fate, a seven layered, floral petal shaped shield of condensed magic energy manifests above them.

They turn to find that Archer was the one who had projected the shield. As the blast connects with the shield, the impact is great enough to generate a surge of wind pressure.

The blast slowly begins to chip into the shield's layers, edging deeper with every second. Every layer that shatters takes its toll on Archer's physical body, as evident when his wounds gushes blood with each layer gone.

As they were down to the seventh and final layer, the situation was nerve-wrecking. Archer struggled with all his might, channeling whatever strength he had left within him and drawing it out. "Uohhhh!" And with his last push, he manages to successfully negate the blast.

As the shield dissipitates, the being begins emitting a sound that expresses his frustrations over it's several failed attempts to annihilate them.

"Hoho, you did it Archer, who knew you had it in you huh?" Ace heaves a sigh of relief as he chuckles

"Huff, don't underestimate…me…Haa…" Archer pants heavily as blood trickles down his forehead.

However, as he tries taking a step, the artificial world he created dispels, reverting back to the original grass land, and his legs start fading away. "Tch, I'm this far gone already?" Archer laments

"What…what's happening?" Jack asks in distress

"He…must have expanded all of his mana, in that last attempt where he saved us all with that shield…"Caster remarks

"Keh, you just had to play the hero huh idiot…though you're a courageous one, I'll give you that." Lancer berates whilst hiding his praise.

"…help me tell that master of mine…not to worry about me…cough…and not to weep over my death…cough" Archer says it with increasing difficulty as around a quarter of his body has faded.

"…Understood" Saber replies with her eyes closed, to signify her respect to his last wishes

"And…you…Jack was it? Cough…Don't fret too much…over being unable to save one…cough…or two…instead, be proud of the…fact you had that notion. Never…make any regrets…nor regret your…cough…choices." Archer calls out to Jack, surprising the latter

"Save your breath, you should be resting Archer…" Jack grimaced

"Nah…I'm long gone…from the moment I created this Reality Marble…cough…But…Kid…you remind me of myself when I was young…full of passion for my ideals…determined to fulfill it. Though I soon fell into despair as I strayed from it…You…Please…Never regret your decisions. Take pride in them, protect them all. By the way…your abilities are…pretty similar to mine…so I'll share something with you…come over here…let me tell you…about that shield…it's name is…" And with his last breath, the Heroic Spirit known as Archer faded, without anyone ever knowing his true identity in his lifetime. Though in his last moments, he felt respite, for knowing what it felt like to die without regrets, and that he who was betrayed in life, had found solace, in himself…and his allies.

Jack watches on, still struggling to find his resolve. The rest falls to deep silence, the battle grows ever the fiercer, even more so with another ally down. As Ace decides to give another motivating speech to boost their morale, the being begins charging another one of it's deadly blast's.

"Really?! Does it ever get tired?! We are almost out of juice!" Lancer shouted in frustration as he rashly charges to impale the energy ball

The energy ball then splits into six separate beams and blasts everyone, with the exception of Jack. "Gaah!" "Urmph…" Their cries of agony could be heard as they fell unconscious, yet he couldn't do anything. "Am I useless after all? Even though Archer left things up to me, I still can't muster the courage to fight…" Jack lamented how indecisive and weak he was as everyone fell unconscious except Ace and Saber.

The being begins to gloat as it realizes the fighters are almost down as it readies another blast.

Saber, whilst struggling to her feet, encourages Jack. "Have faith in yourself, Jack. You may have been unable to completely fulfill what you set out to do, but that does not beget more failure. I trust that Archer had believed in you as much as I did, all of us. Please, don't falter…" And she stumbles and faints

As the final blast is ready and fired towards the field, Ace stands at the front lines, struggling to even draw on his gauntlets mystical strength. "Heh, guess I just have to be the hero huh, Sorry Jack, Tell Vipes it's my bad this time."

Jack is then struck with the thought of what would happen should Ace forge on, and suddenly, something dormant in him all this time awakened…

[Back at Interdimensional Portal]

"Hmm, I see, so that's how it is hmm." Viper remarks

"Well that is all I do know regarding the issue, though now I would like to ask you something…regarding your decision to dispatch those two for the mission." Omni asks somewhat worriedly

"Still hung up about that huh? Well, no harm telling you I guess…I said they would be safe because I believe in **his** potential." Viper replies somewhat annoyed

"You mean Ace and his mystical gauntlets?"

"No, I mean Jack."

"How so? No offense to him, but his ability to shapeshift does seem…underwhelming compared to Ace, please do enlighten me so." Omni asks skeptically.

"Shape shifting is but the tip of his true capabilities. What he truly does…is reproduction. He is able to replicate any abilities that he sees, though it is limited by his potential." Viper replies

"U mean he plagiarizes powers? And by potential, I dare say that the human potential is nigh limitless."

"Indeed, but you are mistaken about one thing, he doesn't copy, he **reproduces** a power. Copying would mean the ability would be the exact same as the original, however…Reproducing on the other hand…"

"Aah…don't tell me…" Omni widens his eyes in amazement and shock

"Yes, it is equivalent to creating a separate set of abilities of his own, ones that he can hone, modify, and alter. The abilities have no limit…that is where his strength lies. He is able to fully utilize ten powers of those that he has already seen, on top of that, add his own capabilities to strengthen the powers. However, five of the abilities he is able to use are by default, strength, agility, magic/mana, shape shifting and enhanced five senses. Aside from that, he is able to project any weapon of his choice, without taking up any of his ability slots. So as long as Jack keeps training himself and the powers his obtained, given time, he would be nigh invincible." Viper states

"But it confounds me to why he didn't use it back when we were under siege from Dark Terror's assault."

"He couldn't, at the time…he was only able to shape shift and his own strength was capped to a mere forty percent due to certain reasons. He had also yet to fully master his powers."

"Ah I see…so you would have him culminate some experience from the mission, to perhaps succeed you in future…or perhaps for another hidden **agenda**." Omni added, with particular emphasis on the word 'agenda'.

"You know Omni, it would be best for you to be in the dark regarding **certain matters** , it could cost you." Viper responded with a threat

"You jest, my friend, though on the flip side, should Jack attain mastery over his abilities, you would be the dead weight on the team then." Omni responds playfully to the threat.

Before Viper could carry on, Omni added on, "Though I have to ask, what is Jack's origin, I have yet to hear about it, pray tell?"

"Perhaps, some other time" Viper said with a distant look

[Back at Type-Moon Universe]

As Ace proceeds to intercept the beam, Jack steps up and calls out to him with a fiery voice. "Get back, I'll handle this."

"What…no, it's too dangerous, you aren't strong enough to handle this." Ace challenged

"Just GO!" Jack snapped

Ace is about to make a retort but notices the look in Jack's eyes. It didn't carry the bleak, emptiness it did awhile back, but in it's place, were eyes that carried rock solid will power, resolute determination, to put an end to this. Seeing the unwavering Jack, Ace relented and decides to respect Jack's choice.

"Heh, I'll believe in you this once kid, go ahead and save us." Ace chuckled

The being blasts the energy ball right on trajectory, straight towards the fighters. Jack however, advanced undeterred, carrying a palpable aura around him.

"I've hesitated too much…let fine people die, but **No more, This Ends Here**!" Jack yells with a fiery as his energy level sky rockets and he unleashes an energy beam that is the same as the behemoth's blast. This beam however, was much more potent than the creature, for it carried Jacks own strength and had the addition of Caster's magical energy to boot. This brought the beam to phenomenal heights, it completely overpowered the behemoth's own blast and strikes it through the core.

Ace was stupefied, for he had no knowledge of Jack's true essence. It was truly a miraculous growth, for Jack to have unlocked his potential in such a short span of time and be accustomed to his abilities the moment he drew it.

"Well I'll be damned, the kid's gonna give this douche the ass whooping of the century. Heh, if his like this now, who knows how far he may surpass all of us." Ace laughs heartily whilst wincing in pain over his wounds.

The creature was furious, to see that someone would be able to rival it's unparalled might, much less surpass it. It vibrated at an abnormal rate as it regenerated from it's grievous wounds, to perhaps signify that it now recognizes Jack as a prominent threat.

Now, with Jack finally resolving to fight, and his abilities unleashed, the final battle for the Fate of this Universe would finally commence.

 **That's Chapter 6, looks like things are finally heating up XD. I hope you guys have enjoyed it and do look forward to the next update. Though with school starting soon, updates will have to be shifted to either biweekly or monthly depending on my schedule. Thank you for your understanding and thanks for reading this. Do feedback regarding this and for improvements. Signing out, fm :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Fateful Battle**

 **Hey guys, its been an extremely long time since the promised update, I sincerely apologize for that, but I have major exams this year so yeah... Without further ado, here is the long awaited Chapter 7, as usual(?) I do not own Maplestory or any other franchise that appears in this fanfic**

[Fate/ Stay Night Universe]

"Oh? It actually recovered from that, well woe is me, it truly is frightening." Ace commented half playful, half panting

"Looks like the only way to vanquish this fiend, would be to unleash an attack so powerful, that it overpowers it's regeneration… **or** wear it out until it's wiped out." Jack murmured to himself, though loud enough for Ace to hear

As Jack readies himself, the menace emanating an ear splitting sound that reverberated throughout the area as it began to glow.

"Wow…no way…it still has so much fight left in it?" Ace muttered in disbelief.

Jack braces himself as the being fired a volley of energy beams towards him. Jack projects the legendary spear Gae Bulg; the famed spear of a bright shade of crimson graced the battlefield with it's presence, truly a remarkable weapon, only the worthy may ever hope to wield it in their grasp.

"Lancer, I'm sorry for not stepping in earlier, but I'm going to change things now, so please…lend me your strength." Jack mutters under his breath as he readies his aim at the creature with the all seeing eyes of Archer and his astounding accuracy. Then he thrusts it forward with the mighty strength of Heracles, the strength that overcame the fabled Twelve Labours. The spear infused with mana from Caster was shimmering. The combined strength of everyone now was indeed a force to be reckoned with, and such strength it was indeed, that it erased the beams away with it's sheer force and struck true to it's target.

The monster bellowed in agony, in it's own way, as it slightly shrunk.

"Hehe, well I guess this fight's already decided huh, whew…I'm spent. What a shock though. To think Jack had all that power in him…guess I'll grill him for answers later huh, haha." Ace panted

As Jack prepared to deal the coup de grace, he suffers a severe backlash from his previous outburst and collapses. It would seem that the sudden power up Jack had was starting to take its toll on Jack's body.

"Darn...so...this is my limit huh...I can probably manage one last blast...what move should I use then?" Jack wheezed

As he struggled to concentrate his strength, the monster did the same. Both seemed to arrive at the same conclusion, that the next attack would decide the outcome.

"This is it!" Jack thought as he projected the holy blade "Excalibur", it's magnificent radiance shimmering in the darkness, and prepared to unleash that holy energy.

"Excalibur" this time did not only contain the hopes of the past, but the hopes of everyone else in this world, their hopes for a brighter tomorrow fuelling the blade with an unparalled power.

"EX...CALIBUR" Jack echoed out the name of the blade of hope and swung it with all his might, and at the same instant, the being fired its own dark energy of despair. The two attacks collided in the middle of the battlefield, generating a never before seen surge of energy, so wild and destructive that it threatened to tear apart the world itself.

Both sides pushed with all their might, with neither seeming to have the upper hand.

"This...is intense...and very bad...Jacky's gonna run outta juice at this rate. C'mon, think Ace, what can I do." Ace pondered

As he turned his head, he noticed Dark Terror and had a flash of inspiration.

"Hey! Darko, get up!" Ace shook Dark Terror whilst lightly slapping it.

"...urgh..."Dark Terror muttered faintly

"Get your lazy ass up or I am gonna slap the tentacles outta you!" Ace was getting more anxious by the second.

"...what, I don't even have tentacles...? All I remember is getting hit by the...Holy! What is that immense energy I'm sensing"

"Rise and shine, I need your help."

As the battle raged on, Jack's body was slowly tearing apart. His veins were starting to rupture, his heart pulsating at a beyond abnormal rate, his consciousness starting to fade. The behemoth however, showed no signs of weakening anytime soon.

"Crap...I can barely even... see straight and *huff* this abomination still has... so much vitality..." Jack wheezed

Right when Jack was about to be overpowered in the beam struggle, his body is suddenly rejuvenated, his strength restored.

"What?" Thought a perplexed Jack

"Hehe, that's Darky's credit, apparently he can reverse the time in your body as well, so he went ahead and restored you, go ahead, **finish** this." Ace explained wearily

Smiling, he has one hand firmly holding onto Excalibur, and uses the other to unleash the energy beam of the monster. The combined might of the two attacks overwhelmed the beast and vanquished it, not leaving a trace of it's existence.

With the monster eliminated, the darkness that enveloped the area had vanished and the light of hope had returned.

"Haah...finally..." Jack exhaled as he collapsed to the ground exhausted, but contented.

"Excellent job kid, couldn't have done it better myself." Ace for once, spoke with a mature tone of his age.

"Truly a magnificent battle, you have changed my impressions of you for the better." Dark Terror praised

"Nah...it's on all of us."

Suddenly, the whole area began to glow in a faint light and started to dissolve away.

"!...What the...What's going on!" Jack yelled in anxiety

"Fret not my friend, this is but the reconstruction of this timeline, since the external influence, being that monster, is now gone, the timeline is restarting. Also, we should be on our way." Dark Terror explained calmly

"Ohoho, so mission accomplished huh, well then gents, shall we be off?" Ace returned to his casual, flippant tone

"I...see, before we go, can I bid my farewells?"

"I understand, but bear in mind that the ties we had to this Universe would be severed and nothing but a wisp when we leave. It best if you not be too emotionally attached to this place." Dark Terror replied solemnly

Jack approaches the now fading Saber, still unconscious. "Saber...although it was just a short span of time, it was nice knowing you, and your comrades. I...don't know if what I had felt towards you was...love, but I most certainly felt an affinity with you. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors...Farewell." As he finishes his last sentence, he gives a light kiss to Saber's cheeks.

As though to say the same, a faint smile appeared across her fleeting face and she faded away.

An air of melancholy surrounded Jack as he watched the very spot Saber lay moments before, he bows for a final time before he proceeds to leave with his comrades.

[Back at Interdimensional Portal]

"Oh, your back, it's been a full day. Jack, mission report." Viper demanded

"C'mon Vipes, that can wait, we just survived a life threatening mission yo, and lil Jacky here just got heartbroken." Ace replied flippantly

"...It's fine Ace." Jack thanked Ace as he proceeded to update Viper of their activities in the Type Moon Universe.

"Hm, I see, so to sum up, the miasma manifested into a creature of pure dark energy and could have potentially destroyed the inhabitants of said universe, and you three barely managed to do so and Jack had unlocked new abilities. Correct?" Viper notes coldly

"That's about right...cheers to Jack though, if it weren't for him, we'd be long gone."

Viper looks to Jack with steely eyes as if to say something, while Jack lowers his head, not out of shyness, but inferiority, the scene puzzling Ace, Omni and Dark Terror.

Ace is about to make a comment about Viper's seeming aggression against Jack, but decides not to.

"You three deserve one clap."

"..." Everyone was stunned at Viper's comment, unsure of whether it was sarcasm or truly a praise.

"Moving on, the update on our mission. Now we are at the third day of the crisis and have five days left. From the mission report I received earlier, it would seem the worst case possible has happened, the beings created from the miasmas are far from the scope of our powers, it would take everything we have in our arsenal to annihilate them. Also, it would seem Dark Terror is capable of useful feats, such as time reversal and having the knowledge of the various dimensions. That aside, I heard from Omni that the miasmas can affect the dimensions in a multitude of ways."

"That is correct, the miasmas, put simply, can manifest in three forms. The first would be what you three have encountered earlier, a being of immense power, comprising of pure dark energy, though their characteristics may differ. Second, the miasmas may be so powerful that it connects multiple dimensions together. An alternative form, also the final one, would be the most dreaded one. The final way the miasma would manifest...would be fusion. There is a possibility the miasma may possess one of the inhabitants within the dimension and grant them an absurd boost in power." Omni elaborates

"For simplicities sake, the two of us have dubbed the three forms, Alpha, Beta and Delta respectively." Viper added

"You...sort of lost me at three forms...well, don't matter, we will just pummel whatever comes in our way!" Ace laughs it off

Dismissing Ace's side remarks, Viper concludes with slight annoyance, "Either way, we need to band together to deal with this crisis, we cannot always depend on a single powerhouse to accomplish our goals." The last comment indicating Jack.

"Well, let us be on our way." Omni declares as he casts some magic that moves the team

Ace notices the abnormal changes in Jack's behavior; whenever he was in front of Viper, Jack would suddenly have a loss in confidence, Ace reassures Jack "Cheer up Jacko...I'm sure Vipes acknowledges your talents, his just embarrassed about it."

"...Yeah..."

As they arrived at their next destination, Viper inquires, "Dark Terror, where are we now?"

"Ah, this is..."

[Elsewhere]

"Haaaa...Is that light...?In this abyss...It's been too long..."

 **That's Chapter 7, Sorry if it's too lackluster or short, but it's been awhile and I wanted to progress the story a little quicker. Updates won't be as frequent until november, i apologize for that. As usual, i hope you guys have enjoyed it and do provide feedback on improvements etc and if you'd like your can pm or tell me what anime/manga/game you would like to appear next. :)**


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